The Perfect Opportunity
by Fafsernir
Summary: [AU] "Great! I'll be there soon, then." Ianto kept staring at the text, but it stayed the same. Rhiannon was coming. And he had no significant other to introduce to her, although she was expected one. In what trouble had he brought himself in? And where could he find a girlfriend in a few minutes?


_So with friends we finally did another "Prompt time" as we call them, after a few months, and it was great, and I got inspired! Oops... ;) Enjoy anyway, I just had fun :D_

 **Prompt Idea "I told my sister I have a boyfriend so she'd stop trying to set me up with people but now she's coming to visit and I'm in too deep I need a fake boyf ASAP"**

* * *

Ianto tapped his phone on the table, chewing his lip. He had fallen right into Rhiannon's trap, and now he didn't know what to do.

She had been trying to set him up for months, since the fiasco with Lisa, and a few weeks earlier he had told her that he was seeing someone. And she had stopped. Well, she had asked question, and Ianto had lied, describing someone he liked – maybe fancied a bit – only leaving one detail out. The fact that it was a man. But as it was all fake, Ianto hadn't seen the point of coming out as well as lying to Rhiannon. So he had changed the sex and described his neighbour. Nothing wrong in that.

Except that now Rhiannon was coming over, and had asked him before if everything was going well with Ianto's mysterious girlfriend, to which he had answered that they were going to spend a nice evening together. He couldn't quite say that "she" had left in the meantime, as "she" wasn't supposed to be here yet.

When he heard the door of the staircase open in the corridor, he jumped on his feet, running to the flat. Maybe he could text Toshiko, ask her to come over and pretend for the evening. But Rhiannon knew Toshiko and she clearly had been a best friend for Ianto, nothing more. Ianto didn't feel at ease with his other friends to ask them this. Maybe he could ask Jack, but Rhiannon would see him if he went out to knock at his neighbour's door.

"Hi Ianto, spying on me?" a voice said, and Ianto gulped.

It wasn't Rhiannon, but his neighbour, Jack. The neighbour he had described to Rhiannon. The neighbour he fancied.

"Oh," he said. "I... Well."

"Is there a problem? You seem... in a hurry?"

"Yes! I am! I am! I... huh... Ha," Ianto scoffed. "You'll laugh."

"Go on, you know you can't do worse than getting stuck on your balcony and calling for help."

Ianto looked down, still ashamed at how they had first met. Ianto had a door leading to his balcony, except that it closed by itself if you didn't take the key with you or had someone to open. Or just blocked the door so it wouldn't close. Of course, he had once been stuck on it, without his phone, standing like a fool with his coffee in his hands. Well, he was rather glad that Jack had been on his balcony at the same time, but still, it sucked. They had stared at each other for a moment, then Jack had casually talked, and it had taken half an hour before Ianto admitted that he was actually stuck and that if Jack could call someone, anyone, the landlady preferably, he would be forever grateful. Jack had laughed and helped him, and they had developed a friendship after, sometimes going to the other's to spend a nice evening, or just talking from their balconies.

And Ianto totally fancied the handsome man, and he needed him, right now.

"Would you be my boyfriend for tonight?" Ianto asked, shaking his head.

"What?" Jack huffed.

"Okay, long story short, I told my sister I had a girlfriend, except that I don't, and she's coming in a few minutes, and I don't have anyone because I _lied_ but I don't want her to set me up with someone so I just need a fake boyfriend. For the night. Please?"

"Slow down," Jack said, balancing on his feet, thinking. "So you told your sister you had a girlfriend... And you want me to play your _boyfriend_?"

Ianto considered the sentence then grumbled. "Whatever, I'll just tell her that I couldn't gather the courage to come out to her."

"Okay. Since when are we together?"

"What?" Ianto said, confused.

"How did we meet? What job do I do?"

"Just be honest. Simply change things so it sounds like we were a couple all along, not friends. Let's say we were together on my birthday, that'd be easy."

"When is your birthday?"

"Actually no, your birthday, she'll find that less suspicious. I don't know! Just say some stupid date, like five months ago!" Ianto said quickly, running his hands through his hair, panicking and sure, entirely _sure_ , that the evening would go wrong. "And if-"

Ianto was trying to cover all subjects, but it was too long and he didn't know what should be done or not, because everything sounded just mad, even the fact that Jack agreed, and he wasn't sure he could hold the evening pretending to be in a relationship with his crush. All of that, he tried to voice. His fear, his anxiety. But maybe Rhiannon would just not accept the fact that he was in a gay relationship – although he wasn't, not really – and would walk away so the evening would go better than expected...

Something. Anything. He had to say things, but Jack cupped his face and surged forward, kissing him suddenly.

Ianto insulted himself of fool when he felt his heart bumping in his chest. When he closed his eyes and felt the world stop turning. When he brought his hands in Jack's hair and responded to the kiss. He opened his mouth to Jack's demanding tongue and suppressed the rational voice telling him that it was a bad idea and that maybe Jack didn't need to snog the life out of him in this fake couple thing. But he didn't really care, because Jack was kissing him, fake boyfriend or not, and it was amazing.

Then Ianto heard the characteristic cough that his sister often did to announce herself. He reluctantly pulled back, managing not to wince at the loss of contact, and stepped in front of Jack.

"Rhi'! I... Hiya," he stuttered, remembering that Jack was his fake boyfriend and that he shouldn't take advantages.

But holding his hand behind his back felt so natural and so good that Ianto had to briefly close his eyes in a silent prayer that he could be in that position for real one day.

"Hullo!" she answered, her smile a bit fake, her eyes betraying her confusion.

Ianto cleared his throat. "We should go inside."

Rhiannon nodded and Ianto guided Jack into the living room, again reluctantly letting go of his hand. But he had to, and joined Rhiannon who had stayed in front of the door.

"Come," Ianto said, and closed the door behind her, taking her coat.

"So..." she started. "Your girlfriend...?"

"Is not so much of a girl," Ianto shook his head, putting his shaking hands in his back pockets.

"Right. Was she... I mean..."

"It's been him all along," Ianto lied, telling himself that at least he would be honest on one thing that night. He wasn't straight.

"Okay," Rhiannon said, looking at the wall. "So you're..."

"Interested by men as well as women. I just... don't care?" Ianto tried to explain, but he didn't really wonder about his sexual orientation, he just knew he didn't care much about the gender of the person he was with, and that was it.

"Since when?"

"Huh... I don't know, Rhi'. Forever? I didn't wake up and thought 'Oh but I like men too!' one day, it just sort of... was the case, since the beginning?"

"Oh, okay. Sorry."

"It's okay," Ianto smiled.

So apparently she wasn't rejecting Ianto, but she didn't have any reaction, so he wasn't sure.

"Listen, Rhi', if you don't want me to mention it ever again, I'd unders-"

Ianto was interrupted for the second time in a short amount of time, Rhiannon taking him in his arms.

"No, no! It's great. I just didn't imagine. Not that you should- I don't know," she shook her head, then patted his back as she pulled away. "Is he nice though?"

"Yeah," Ianto smiled genuinely. "Yes he is."

"Great. Presentations, then?"

Ianto nodded and led the way, a big smile on his face, proud of his sister. He hadn't been sure that she would accept him for that, but he was so happy of her reaction. He gave a discreet thumb up to Jack who jumped on his feet and extended his hand to Ianto's sister.

"Jack Harkness, a pleasure to meet you. Ianto told me a lot about you," he grinned.

Ianto shook his head, thinking he was doing too much, but Rhiannon actually blushed when Jack took the hand she was giving him to kiss it on the back.

"I like him," she whispered to Ianto's ear when Jack let go of her hand, and Ianto smiled in return.

Ianto improvised something for dinner, getting help from Jack, then Rhiannon, and doing nothing in the end, other than watch his sister and fake-boyfriend cook together. He sat on the kitchen counter like a child, criticising the meal getting cooked while he ate crisps. They spent a good moment, apart from his sister sharing embarrassing memories of his childhood, but Jack kept saying it was adorable – it really wasn't sometimes – so Ianto didn't mind that much.

"You should stop eating this," Jack said at some point, snatching the crisps from Ianto's hands.

"Hey," Ianto said, trying to take back his food, but Jack passed it to Rhiannon who nodded and started to steal his crisps. "I hate you," Ianto pouted.

Jack laughed and stepped forward when Ianto tried to jump on the floor. Ianto stared at Jack who was between his legs and swallowed hard. Maybe he was getting into the game too much, Ianto thought, as his heartbeat picked up again. He couldn't help but put his arms on Jack's shoulders however, almost instinctively, mentally cursing for doing this.

"I'll put up the table then," Rhiannon chuckled and left the kitchen.

Jack didn't step away, but laughed slightly.

"Okay, I love your sister," he whispered.

Ianto smiled and nodded, noticing the glimpse of sadness in Jack's eyes. "She's pretty amazing."

"You're not bad yourself," Jack grinned, putting his hands on Ianto's hips.

Ianto straightened his back and had to fight the urge to kiss Jack, wondering if he was still trying to act like his boyfriend, or was just honest. He hoped he was honest. God, he wanted more of the kiss they had exchanged. He wanted more than that. Asking him to play his boyfriend had been the worst idea possible.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it's ready," Rhiannon said, and Ianto pulled away quickly, looking at the coffee machine on the kitchen counter to give himself something to look at.

Jack stepped away and helped bring everything to the living room where Ianto had a small table with four chairs, even if most of the time two were unavailable because he pushed the table against the corner.

The dinner was great and animated, with Jack telling stories about himself, half of which Ianto already knew about, but he also found out new things about Jack, especially his family. They hadn't really talked about their parents or siblings, and Ianto found out that Jack had one brother, but hadn't talked to him in ages. He missed him, but his brother refused to talk to him, for a reason Jack didn't give, but that explained his sadness earlier. He was witnessing Ianto and Rhiannon's rather good relation, and although they weren't that close, they still liked each other and enjoyed spending time together. It was always more than never talking.

They eventually moved on Jack and Ianto, talking about their meeting – which they kept honest – which took a good deal of time because Ianto kept interrupting Jack so Rhiannon would never find out how he had been stuck on his own balcony, then about how they had come to be, and how great they were – which was all a lie. But it was a nice lie. Ianto could hear Jack talking about a life they didn't lead but that he wished they did. And Jack was an excellent story-teller, no matter if they were truth or lies, no one could tell the difference.

When Rhiannon finally left, not without asking Jack to join them once for a dinner with her family, Ianto sighed heavily. Jack patted his back and cleaned the few things they had left out.

"You don't need to do that," Ianto said, rubbing his neck. "And oh God, I'm sorry for that."

"It's fine, she's a lovely woman," Jack smiled.

"She's married."

"I know, I'm not interested," Jack laughed.

Ianto shook his head and helped Jack clean everything and move the table back to where it belonged, then walked Jack to the door.

"Really, thanks for what you did, I don't know how to thank you," Ianto said, leaning against the door frame.

"You could actually do something for me," Jack said, looking down for a few seconds then in Ianto's eye.

"Sure, anything," Ianto nodded.

"You see that nice restaurant down the street?"

"Yeah?"

"Go there with me," Jack said, almost begged, looking unsure for once, especially after all that self-confidence Ianto had seen during the dinner.

Then it clicked in Ianto's mind and he blinked a few times.

"I... Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Interested?" Jack shrugged.

Ianto's heart flipped for the third time that day and he took a bit unsteady breath.

"Yeah... I mean, yes! Yes, I'll go."

Jack smiled, and Ianto couldn't help but smile back at how genuinely happy Jack looked. "I'll tell you when, then."

"Sure!" Ianto nodded eagerly. "So... I guess good night?" he added after a small awkward silence.

"Oh, yes, sorry. Thanks for the evening, it was fun. And... nice."

Ianto presented his hand, but Jack took it only to pull it away, instead leaning on to kiss Ianto a second time. It was shorter than the first one and Jack didn't leave much time for Ianto to respond, so he just stared at him, his mouth opened, left wanting and longing for more.

"Right," Jack said, taking a deep breath and stepping back. "Good night."

Ianto stared again but when Jack reached his flat, he walked to him and grabbed his shoulder to turn him around and pull him into a passionate kiss.

"I'm sure it will be great," Ianto winked at him and left, closing his door with a chuckle.

He turned everything off and went to his bedroom quickly, wondering if he should thank his sister for making things go further between him and Jack, but she wasn't supposed to know they weren't together – yet – so he just chose to sleep, smiling as he felt that his life was going as he wanted it to go for once.


End file.
